And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels’ necks.
The gold earrings that Gideon asked for weighed about 43 pounds of gold. This didn't even include all the other valuable things like decorations, necklaces, purple clothing that belonged to the Midianite kings, and the chains that hung around their camels' necks.
This verse shows the enormous wealth that Gideon collected from his victory over the Midianites - just the gold earrings alone weighed over 40 pounds.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Judges, Gideon was a judge chosen by God to deliver the Israelites from the oppression of the Midianites, who had been raiding their lands. After a miraculous victory with a small army, Gideon pursued and defeated the Midianite kings, leading to the collection of spoils as a common practice in ancient warfare. These spoils, including golden earrings and other treasures, represented the wealth and status of the defeated enemies in the cultural context of the Near East.
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